


Can Beauty Come Out Of Ashes

by GingaBrit



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-23 14:45:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14936298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingaBrit/pseuds/GingaBrit
Summary: What made Captain America one of the greatest soldiers? A secret ingredient. When that secret comes to stand beside him and Sgt. James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, each fall in love, but can any of them find a happy ending?War creates tragedy but can it also create beauty?





	1. Make It Count

Dr. Abraham Erskine P.OV.

I gripped my bag tightly as I made my way down the dark corridor. My mind was buzzing, mostly from fear, but I had to do this. Several men passed me as I walked, most saying a ‘Hail Hydra’ here and there, some gave me a respectful nod. I never spoke to them, I was too afraid my voice would betray me and that I might blurt out what I was about to do. There was no telling what Schmidt might do then. 

My stomach rolled thinking about the possibilities; what Johann Schmidt and my assistant, Dr. Arnim Zola, could come up with. I shook my head to clear it, there was no time to think of such things. Time was of the essence.

"If time is so precious why are you even here!" 

“Because I can’t walk away like this! How would I sleep?” I growled to myself.

“Dr. Erskine?”

I jumped at the sound of my name and spun to see a young soldier standing only feet away from me. He was a handsome boy, blonde hair and blue eyed, the epitome of Arian perfection. He had a look in his eyes though, a nervous look, as if he weren’t sure if he should even be addressing me. That was a normal reaction though. The soldiers very rarely interacted with the scientists at HYDRA and vice versa. How odd that we were all to be on the same side but not sure if we could trust one another, what type of army is that?  
Still not trusting my voice, I made a shooing gesture with my hand and the young man seemed to accept this as normal behavior. He walked away, leaving me alone in the corridor. Thankfully, the next door on my right was my destination. Carefully, I looked around to be absolutely sure that no one was coming before I unbolted the heavy metal door and slipped inside.  
I had always hated these types of rooms. Experimental rooms, my left foot. These were cells and they looked the part. The room was very dark, no windows were set into the walls and the only light came from various overhead fixtures that were very dim. The floor was hard concrete and looked to be caked from centuries worth of dust and probably blood. Chains were bolted into the wall but why they were still in use I didn’t know, the person they kept here didn’t fight back much.

“Bütenblatt,” I whispered softly. It was so dark and silent I couldn’t be sure that who I was looking for was even there. After what felt like an eternity there came a soft “Doc,” from the far corner of the room.

Slowly, I made my way toward the voice, letting my eyes adjust to where I could see the faintest outline of a body, small as it was, lying on a cot. As I got closer, two eyes peered at me from the dark, and though they had never seen the sun they were as bright as gemstones.

A chair sat next to the cot and I gently placed myself in it. My body felt tense and every few seconds my eyes travelled to the door on the far side of the room. I may have had trouble seeing in this room but the small creature next to me did not. Those bright eyes could see every move I made and could read me just as easily as I could word on a page.

“You’re leaving.” 

That voice, so soft to be in such a hard place. It sounded sad but was so gentle even when it spoke in perfect German as it had just now. 

I only nodded and we lapsed back into silence for a few moments before I gained the courage to speak. “I am going to America,” my voice startled me in the silence of the room, “I do not know if I will make it but I will try very hard. Schmidt took my serum, it has… changed him. Made him more determined and I fear that…” I didn’t know want to go on but I forced myself, “That he… we will actually succeed with creating an army but one in his distorted image.”

Silence again, “You’ll make it.” 

I looked over into those bright orbs, “How can you be so sure?” It could have been my imagination but my eyes could detect a soft smile below those bright eyes. 

“Because, you have to. Schmidt can’t win and you need to make sure that the other side has a fighting chance.” 

A flash of white and a skinny, pale arm was held out in front of me, “You’re going to need a secret ingredient.”

I only stared at the extended appendage, it was thin and pale enough to where I could see the faint, blue lines that were veins. I looked back up, “Are you sure?”

Another soft smile “Just make sure that whoever you choose, is worth it. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man. That’s all I ask.”

It took several minutes but with tears in my eyes and three vials of blood stored safely in my bag, I made my way back out of the HYDRA base. A train was waiting for me and two failed attempts on a super soldier serum, but my third try would work. My third try would live up to my promise that I made in a dark cell to someone who had nothing and everything to give. A little guy can make the biggest change. And that little guy was Steve Rogers.


	2. Through Fire and Flames

Bucky Barnes P.O.V

The two men who dragged me conversed back and forth in some language that I couldn’t understand. I tried to push against them, to gain some footing, but I was too weak from hunger and exhaustion. When the 107th went against the enemy, we thought we would at least stand a fighting chance but we were sorely mistaken. Very few men died, the rest of us were taken to this… place. 

The whole was place felt like a tomb it was so dark. 

The two guards stopped at a large metal door and as they opened it they promptly threw me on my ass. With all the strength I had left, I pushed myself up and went to punch one of the guards in the face. The other just hit me in the head with the butt of his gun and yelled in that foreign language of his and then shut the door. I heard the sound of a bolt scraping into place.  
Something trickled down the side of my face as I lay on the floor but I honestly couldn’t care enough to wipe it away. 

Wouldn’t Steve get a kick out of me? Laying on the ground just like he always did.

Groaning, I managed to get to a sitting position and take in where I was at. It was a dank place, dirty and dark. A few lights hung from the ceiling but they gave barely enough light to see. What I did see though nearly made me jump out of my skin. Two bright eyes stared at me from the other side of the room. 

I had heard of these HYDRA freaks doing some weird experimentation but did they lock me in with one? The eyes blinked but still watched me, not making a move to attack. The frustration of being a prisoner and watching good men, who I had become friends with, either die or be used for whatever these Nazi assholes did built up in my chest. 

“Why don’t you take a picture it will last longer!” I shouted, my voice reverberated off the concrete walls. 

The eyes, I now noticed were a bright shade of green, blinked as if surprised, “Are you…American?”

That voice; it was so soft and it spoke English. I numbly nodded, “And you are?” I winced as sharp pain went through my head. Reaching up and touching my head, I pulled back to look at bright crimson coloring my fingers. I looked up again when I heard a slight shuffle. As I watched, those green eyes got closer and what followed was certainly not a monster. Far from it. 

It was girl. Woman? Whichever, she was striking. Beautiful, but sadly so. Those green eyes were framed by a pale heart-shaped face and shoulder length red hair. She wore a grey smock like dress but that couldn’t disguise the pretty form that was underneath. She was also… tiny. Maybe standing at close to five feet tall. She stopped in front of me and leaned down, examining my head.

“You’re hurt.” It wasn’t a question, and without hesitation she ripped a piece of her dress and placed it against my head. It stung and I give a hiss of pain. “Sorry,” she whispered.

“I’m not,” her eyes looked directly into mine with a questioning look.

Smooth Barnes. 

A soft smile spread on her lips before she went back to looking at my head, “It doesn’t look deep. I think you’ll live.” Carefully, she removed the makeshift bandage and slipped back away from me. 

“Thanks,” I said, trying to get a smile back on that face. 

She only nodded then looked down at her hands that were now in her lap as she sat on her knees. Her arms were bare and I could just make out the bruises and the cuts, some fresh and some in various stages of healing. The sight of those injuries made my blood boil. Who could do this to someone, to a living person? 

I realized I had just been sitting there staring at her for God knows how long. Clearing my throat I started, “I’m James Barnes. Well, James Buchanan Barnes. Actually, there’s a Sergeant in front of that now,” I was rambling, “But everyone calls me Bucky.”

Green eyes looked at me again, the looked more like emeralds for how bright they were. Like the earrings Pop had gotten for Mom on their 20th wedding anniversary. “What’s your name?”

She seemed to consider the question carefully before she answered, “Lily. They call me Lily.”

I smiled despite myself, of course, she even has a pretty name. Extending my hand toward her I say, “It’s a pleasure.” She doesn’t take it, only stares at it quizzically before looking at me with the same look, “You’ve never seen a hand shake?” I ask her.

When she shakes her head, I can’t help but chuckle a little, “Can I show you?” I wait for her to nod her approval before I scoot closer and gently take her hand. Her fingers are cold in mine and I gently pump her hand two times before releasing her. Another smile sits on Lily’s face, “That is a strange thing to do,” she chuckles but she suddenly stops smiling and her head whips around to the door.   
It takes me a few minutes before I also hear several footsteps coming toward the door. In a flash, Lily is up and backing away toward the shadows again but the door flies open before she can get anywhere. 

Four armed guards enter the room and two come and haul me to my feet as two other men, one tall and one very short, follow. The other set of guards walk to Lily, one points a rifle at her chest and the other takes her arms and holds them securely behind her back. She recoils as the guard touches her but doesn’t resist. 

“Leave her alone!” I yell but I’m ignored by everyone except the tall man. His eyes watch me bemusedly for a moment before he turns his attention to Lily.

“Very sorry my dear,” the tall man says in English with a heavy German accent, “that we had to give you a roommate. Vacancy is quite slim and we had to double bunk.”

Lily doesn’t say anything, only looks at the man. Her jaw looks to be set firmly, as if she is grinding her teeth. 

This silence doesn’t seem to perturb the man, he only continues, “Will you give me permission today? Or are we going to have to this the hard way?”

Again silence. What happened next happened so fast it was almost a blur. The tall man’s hand lashed out and struck Lily across the face. I tried to break free but the guard’s grips were like iron. 

“Very well,” the tall man said in an exasperated tone, “let us begin.”

He turned on his heel and followed by the short man walked out of the room, the guards dragged Lily with them. My own guards dropped me onto the ground and followed behind. Before the door swung shut I caught sight of Lily looking over her shoulder at me. Her green eyes terrified but I couldn’t do anything before the door was slammed in my face.

*************** (Several Hours Later) ********************  
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed but suddenly the door opened but no guards filed in. Instead, Lily was basically tossed inside before the door slammed shut again. She had fallen on her side and just sort of laid there. I rushed over and went to lay a hand on her back but she flinched away from me, sitting bolt upright and trying to scoot backward.

“Hey, Lily, it’s me, Bucky.” I held my hands out, palms facing her, letting her know I didn’t mean any harm.

Lily’s green eyes stared at me in fright but finally she seemed to recognize me. “Bucky?” she said looking at my hands. There was a nasty bruise forming on her jaw and several droplets of blood covered both arms. Another cut stood out on her neck but it was shallow.

“What did they do to you?” I whispered, looking her up and down, noticing new injuries that hadn’t been there when she had been taken. 

Shrugging her shoulders, “What they always do. Experiment. The Red Skull is very persistent on his studies,” she had tried to make a joke but her voice just sounded tired and sad.

I held out my hand, “Can I help you up?” She nodded and I gently pulled her to her feet, not wanting to hurt her any more than she already was. We managed to move over to the small cot on the far wall and she all but collapsed onto the makeshift bed.

“Bastards,” I hissed watching Lily as she lay down on her side, “They’ll pay. Once we get out of here-.” Lily cut me off with a “We? There is no we. I’ll be stuck here forever. Schmidt will let me heal and then this begins all over again. I’m stuck Bucky Barnes but you, you can get out.”

The finality in her voice made my stomach clench. How long had this girl been tortured? Who gave this Schmidt the right to take another person’s will to live? To hope? I forgot all about being careful with her and grabbed her hand and held it. This time she didn’t flinch away, only looked at me, “We are getting out of here. You. Me. All the men downstairs. Everyone. I don’t know when and I don’t know how but we will. I promise, I will get you out even of the building is going up in flames. So, don’t you dare give up. You got that?”

Lily’s lips slipped into a smile and she nodded, “Thank you.”

I realized I was probably squeezing her hand too tightly and I dropped it. A smile still in place, Lily’s eyes drifted close and I took up the small chair that was next to her cot. 

The next day, guards took me out of that cell and into one of my own. I was tortured and injected with God knows what. I caught glances of Lily as I was dragged to and from my own cell. The flash of red hair here, a glint of pale skin there and the worst was hearing female screams echoing off the hallway walls. They were her screams, I knew it and my stomach rolled to where I might throw up. I had no way to get to her, that is, not until this skinny kid from Brooklyn showed up.

Steve Rogers P.O.V

I followed Bucky around a tight corner and we both went tumbling as another explosion rocked the building.

“Buck!” I yelled, “This is insane we have to go!”

Bucky didn’t even look at me as he pulled himself off the floor and continued running. I sighed and got to my feet and followed. It wasn’t until he stopped at a door that had been thrown open that I was truly confused. A male voice in German was screaming loudly inside the room. I placed a hand on Bucky’s shoulder as I moved around him into the room. 

A Hydra soldier had his back to us and I could now tell he was screaming at someone who was on the floor. The soldier raised his hand and balled it into a fist, ready to thrash whoever was on the ground. On instinct, I threw my shield, hitting the guy in the head and sending him tumbling to the ground. Before the soldier even hit the floor, Bucky was around me and falling to his knees in front of the person on the floor. Wait, not just a person… but a girl? A pretty girl at that. How did he find a girl while being a prisoner?!

“Lily!” Bucky, gently touched the girl on her shoulder, she was so still that I wasn’t even sure if she was alive. Slowly, however, she surprised me by fluttering her eyes open.

“Bucky?” she mumbled, sounding sleepy.

I listened as Bucky asked her if she could stand and she mumbled something about being drugged. I had grabbed my shield in time for another explosion to ring out and for rock to fall. I slid over and put my shield over the three of us and concrete pinged off my shield. 

I locked eyes with Bucky, “We have to go. Now!”

He nodded and turned back to Lily, “Lily,” he asked, “Can I pick you up? I need to carry you?” 

Lily glanced at me with bright green eyes then looked back to Bucky, “Okay.”

I tried to protest that I should carry her, Bucky was still too weak from being experimented on but I was too slow. Bucky hooked one arm around Lily’s shoulders and one under her knees before easily standing up, her clutched to his chest. I didn’t realize how small she was, almost the size of a child. 

I led the way out and we made it out of the base door just in time to see the whole place collapse in flames. 

**** (Walking into SSR Base Camp) *****

“Hey Barnes!” I heard someone call from where I was talking to Peggy. Somehow, I managed to tear my eyes away from Peggy’s face to see Bucky walking over to the tank that Dum Dum Dugan was driving. A Buck reached up, the girl, Lily, fell into Bucky’s arms. The drugs had still not worn off and the girl could barely keep her head up. In the daylight now, I could see the bruises and cuts all over her body. My knees felt weak looking at those injuries. She’d endured so much.

“Steve? Who is that?” Peggy asked and I knew she had caught sight of Lily. 

I turned to Peggy, “She needs a medic. Immediately. She was a prisoner of Schmidt.”

Before I had even explained everything, Peggy was already marching toward Bucky and the girl tucked in his arms barking orders for a medic to be found straight away. Bucky glanced at me and I just shrugged as we followed Peggy to a medic tent.

_________________________________________________________________  
Hello everyone!  
I hope you all are enjoying this so far. I’ve had this thought in my head for so long and I know this may seem like a long opening but I promise secrets will be revealed!   
Also, I feel like I need to explain that I’m not trying to push the whole BuckyxLily thing right off the bat. Right now, I believe it’s more of an obligation to help this girl who reminds him of a female Steve. But thanks for reading! See you soon!


	3. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I need to put a bit of a warning on this one. There a mentions of abuse and assault in this chapter. Nothing is ever detailed but fair warning. Thank so much

Lily P.O.V.\

The dark was suffocating but shouldn’t I be used to it? After all, I’ve lived my entire life in the dark. I had never seen the outside world but I think I have seen glimpses. People are windows to me, windows into a world I’ve only every heard about. The majority of people who come into my dark room are only there to inflict pain and demand compliance. There are some, however, who have shown me that maybe the Outside is filled with more than just the monsters who stomp in and demand blood.  
Dr. Erskine wasn’t the first to show me such compassion, but he was one of the most memorable. Unlike all the other kind souls he tried to teach me something. To know what was going on inside my head. The good doctor spoke to me as if I was something more than an experiment. He was the one who taught me to read and to write even if my way of learning was a bit more unconventional, he still never ran away screaming.  
I was given a book once about detailed death written down throughout the years. One entry described that a woman died from a broken heart. The words said that wasn’t a medical prognosis but more of an emotional one. When Dr. Erskine left my cell for the very last time I thought, perhaps, my heart was also breaking.  
Another person I think was a window was Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. Bucky. He had a light in his eyes, both kind and fierce. I’d never seen a shade of blue that was as vibrant as his eyes. They looked like the ice that formed overnight in my water cup during the deepest parts of winter.  
Bucky Barnes was different than most men. For one, he always asked if he could touch me. After a lifetime of being poked and prodded with needles, beaten with fists, and even grabbed harshly by soldiers and scientists alike on sensitive parts of my body, this small gesture made my heart flutter. They took Bucky away. I had seen him several times but only for a few seconds.  
When the explosions began to fill the air, I felt relief in my chest and even a little disappointment. I was sure I was going to finally die but couldn’t shake the regret that I never got to tell that blue-eyed American and that kind scientist, that I was truly grateful to them for making me feel as if I had a shred of humanity left. A guard came in with a terrified look on his face. He screamed at me in German that everyone had left and that it was his job to remove me. I only sat there, I remembered thinking that maybe if I could show some determination like Erskine and Bucky, that maybe I could feel human. When I refused to move, the guard’s fear took over and he proceeded to hit me with his fists.  
I let my body fall to the ground while his fists and his angry, frightened shouting hit me again and again. At one point, he pulled me by the hair and shoved a needle roughly into my neck. Cold medicine flowed into my veins and almost immediately my body felt heavy. A sedative then. Even with the drug in my system the angry fear never left the guard as he dropped me again and let my body bounce on the floor. He screamed again and I prayed that this last hit would break my spine or cause an aneurism. Something that would make this all end.  
There was a whistle of something in the air before the guard gave out a grunt and hit the ground, hard. I didn’t want to move, but I did when I heard that voice calling my name.  
“Lily!” Followed by a soft touch on my shoulder. I managed to open my eyes to see Bucky’s bright blue ones. I said his name but it came out muffled and sounding tired. Another man caught my attention as an explosion rocked the room and he shielded us from debris. This man was blonde and very muscular and he watched Bucky with a brotherly compassion, telling him that they needed to go.  
Again, Bucky asked to touch me. I wanted to tell him to leave and that I was so glad he tried to help me but those were too many words. I only mumbled my consent, even though the thought of physical contact made my heart constrict. Men touching me usually meant hurtful and dark things, but this was Bucky and I couldn’t think bad thoughts of him. The other man went to protest but Bucky easily picked me up and cradled me to his chest.  
What happened, next I’m not sure. The drugs took hold and darkness over took me. Every so often, I would wake up but Bucky and his friend would still be around. I was still being held but there were a lot more people around. Men. At one point, I was able to push past the haze and concentrate on what Bucky was saying. He asked if he could put me down in a…I think the word was tank. I only nodded, feeling terrible that he had carried me for I’m not sure how long. Bucky gently set me down in a seat inside a metal box of some sort. There were other men in there and Bucky told them something but the drugs were already pulling me back under. How much did that guard give me? The last thing I saw was Bucky watching me with worried eyes, “Sleep. It’s alright now. We got you.” That was the last thing I heard before cool darkness over took me.  
Now, the darkness was warm, almost too warm. My head felt clearer but sleep tugged at the edges of my mind. Wherever I was, it was silent. Perhaps, everything had been dream and I was still in my dark, little cell and today was like any other. The thought of none of it being real made my heart clench and tears form behind my closed eyes. I didn’t want to open my eyes to see if it was true but soon the temptation became too much.  
Slowly, I cracked my eyes open but felt like I was being stabbed with knives. Everything was so bright. It took several long minutes but I was finally able to open my eyes all the way. This room was very different from anything I had ever seen. There were lights that gave off a warm glow that you could see by. The floor was made of wood and not concrete and I sat in a…bed, I think that’s the right word for the soft plushy thing I was laying on. White sheets were pulled up to my chest, they were so soft and warm on my skin.  
A rustle of papers caught my attention and I looked over to see a beautiful woman, reading from a folder next to me. Her glossy brown hair was pinned intricately on her head and her red lips were pressed into a thin line as her brown eyes scanned quickly across the page. She must have felt me watching her, because her eyes snapped up and locked on mine. Blinking several times, she closed the folder and dropped it on a nearby table as she stood.  
“You’re finally awake. We were beginning to think you’d sleep forever,” her accent was very pretty, British I think. Dr. Erskine had mentioned England once and gave a terrible impression compared to this woman’s natural voice.  
A cool hand was placed on my head, I jumped slightly but the woman ignored it, “I’m Agent Peggy Carter, by the way. You don’t feel hot, that’s a good sign,” she removed her hand and looked over her shoulder at a man I hadn’t realized was standing by the door. “Go find Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes and bring them here.” The soldier saluted her with a hand to his head and then he was gone.  
Peggy instructed me to sit up and helped me do so by putting a hand on my upper back. Her touch didn’t frighten me this time. She was gentle and careful and she gave me a reassuring smile as she helped me adjust. I have no idea why, but I trusted this woman. There were women in Hydra and they could be even crueler than the men. They would hit harder and usually cause the most scars. Peggy though, confidence radiated off her. She was in control but never once tried to control me. I liked her.  
A door being thrown open made us both jump and look around in time to see the blonde man from the base. That must be the captain Peggy had mentioned and following hot on his heels was Bucky. Now that there was some light I could finally focus on him. He was tall, not as tall as his friend next to him, but still taller than me. His eyes seemed to have gotten brighter but I still noticed the small scrapes on his cheeks. But he seemed healthy and safe so that was a plus.  
“Lily,” Peggy said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder, “This is Captain Steve Rogers. He’s the one who stormed the compound.”  
“Yeah, he’s a real hero,” Bucky quipped and hit the man, Steve, on the shoulder.  
Steve’s cheeks flushed slightly, “Jeez guys. Way to make me look embarrassed.” Steve looked at me, “We’re glad you’re awake.”  
I nodded, anxiety filling my stomach, I’d never been in a room with this many people without either having a gun pointed at me or a needle stuck in my arm, “Thank you. For storming?” I said, if not a little awkwardly.  
Steve gave me a genuine smile and I tried to return it. People being friendly was a little difficult. My eyes strayed to Bucky who was watching me like I was going to shatter right in front of him. “Take a picture it will last longer,” I quipped at him.  
Bucky stared at me and then a bark of laughter escaped him. It was a wonderful sound. “Okay, I deserved that. Have you gotten up yet or are you going to lay there all day. I know I’m a great specimen of health but I’m not going to carry you everywhere.” As he mentioned carrying me, I noticed the slight pink rise in his cheeks.

“Wow,” said Steve and I could feel Peggy behind me trying to control her own laughter.  
Clearing her throat, Peggy touched my shoulder, “Maybe we should see if you can stand. Are you up to it?” I turned and nodded to her. She helped me pull the sheets off me and I finally saw what my grey dress had been changed to. A large white shirt and some plain brown pants both of which were much too large for me. Someone had rolled the pant legs up but I could tell that the shirt would fall to at least my knees.  
“Yes, sorry about that,” Peggy said, staring distastefully at my clothes, “We only had large uniforms.”  
“That’s alright,” I told her, swinging my legs to let them dangle over the side of the bed. Was this a place for giants? There were at least another three inches of open space below my feet. Looking at the ground, anxiety rose up in me but I wasn’t sure why.  
A hand appeared in my line of vision. Looking up, I saw Bucky, a soft smile on his face, “Can I help?” he asked. I didn’t answer, only took a deep breath before taking his hand and letting him keep me steady, his hand warm in mine.  
Once my feet hit the ground, I felt alright but after that one second my head felt light and then my legs gave out. Before my knees hit the ground, Bucky wrapped his other arm around my waist and kept me up right. Now it was my turn for my cheeks to heat up but I kept my head turned toward Bucky’s chest so no one could see the pink patches on my skin. I hadn’t realized how much taller Bucky was than me. My head came level with the middle of his chest  
“Go slowly, Lily. There’s no need to rush,” Peggy said encouragingly.  
I nodded and waited until the light feeling in my head subsided and I was sure that my cheeks had returned to their normal pallor. Nodding again, Bucky slowly relaxed his grip on me waist as he let me try and get my own footing. Finally, I could stand up while only holding onto Bucky’s hand for support. Behind me, I could feel Steve watching just as cautiously to make sure that if Bucky didn’t catch me that he could. I took another deep breath and took one shaky step forward. Then another and another until I could let go of Bucky’s hand and walk on my own, my steps sure and free.  
I felt as if I could have walked forever but stopped as Peggy put a hand on my shoulder and drew me over to a screen, “How about some different clothes.” It wasn’t a question and I let her lead me behind the screen. As we slid away from view the door slammed open again.  
“Rogers!” A deep voice bellowed as it moved across the room, “I’ve been looking for you damn near everywhere.”  
“Sorry Colonel.”  
The other voice grunted in response, “Where is the girl?”  
Peggy sighed, “She’s back here,” she retorted, pulling my shirt over my head and helping me step out of the brown trousers. I tried to listen as this new voice explained of the project that was being housed within the Hydra. The more this Colonel explained about this project the more my stomach twisted in knots. I allowed myself to be pulled this way and that by Peggy as she tugged me into some new garment of clothing.  
My mind was whirling. Do I tell them what I know? Will they hate me? If I don’t will they figure it out on their own. These people had done so much for me in so little time.  
“Trust yourself.” A voice like Dr. Erskine’s whispered in my head.  
On the other side of the screen, I heard Steve’s voice ask, “And what was the name of the project again.”  
“Lily of the Valley,” I blurted. Peggy tensed behind me then took me by the hand and led me back out from behind the screen.  
Steve and Bucky watched me with matching confused expressions. The other man, the Colonel had a knowing look on his face as he watched me. “Oh good, she speaks. Tell me, young lady, how do you know about that project?”  
The Colonel’s expression made me want to back away and crawl under the bed but I kept eye contact. That was usually the best way to not get slapped in Hydra. That and answer questions only when directed at you, “Because,” I began, not looking at the other three in the room. “I am Project Lily of the Valley. I’ve been studied by HYDRA for close to 300 years. You see, I have certain abilities. I was to be the greatest weapon.”  
Everything had come out in a rush and when I had finished I looked down at my still bare feet. The entire room was silent and I was sure they were trying to figure out a way to shackle me. I wouldn’t resist though, I had made my mind up about that.  
“You can tell us Lily,” Bucky’s soft voice came from across the room. I didn’t look at him though, I was too busy trying not to let me tears fall down my face.  
“Well, as I see it, we need you to tell us. Because if what you say is true, then you’re our only hope for winning this war,” my head shot up to look at the Colonel. He had a small smirk on his lips but there was no lie in his eyes. I only nodded eagerly.  
Out of the corner of my eyes, I caught movement and I turned to see a girl standing there looking straight back at me. Green eyes bore into mine and they were dressed in a long sleeved, green army jacket. The jacket was so large that it had been rolled up the elbows and that stopped just about the knees. Every move I made the girl did as well.  
I walked closer and stared for a long time before I asked, “Is that me?” I touched my cheek with my hand and watched the other girl do the dame.  
“Everything okay?” Steve asked.  
I just nodded, “Yes. I’ve just never seen myself before.”


End file.
